Paradise Farm, Henrico County, Virginia

Paradise Farm (circa 1830)

Paradise has played an important role in the history of Henrico County. The house was built in 1830 by a builder named William Bosher. Thomas and Susannah Patterson bought the house in 1833. The house was named Paradise after the Paradise trees which were numerous on the farm at that time. Their eldest son, Dr. Richard Archibald Patterson, was a surgeon during the Civil War and a tobacco entrepreneur. Patterson Avenue was cut through the farm and named after Dr. Richard Patterson. The home remained in the Patterson family until the late 19th century.

The original farm is thought to have bordered Cheswick Plantation to the north and Ravenswood Plantation to the south. Its eastern boundaries are thought to have extended from what is now the University of Richmond to Forest Avenue.

The photographs above were taken 12/12/12, this morning and today below.

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Summary
Richard Archibald Patterson was born in Caroline County, Virginia, on March 15, 1826, a son of Thomas and Susan Garnett Patterson. He received his medical degree from Hampden-Sydney. In 1851, he married Miss Margaret L. Courtney of Henrico County, Va. During the Civil War, he was commissioned surgeon of the Fifty-sixth Virginia Regiment. After the war, he helped form the R.A. Patterson and Co. tobacco company, noted for its “Lucky Strike” brand that he created. He served on the Henrico County Board of Supervisors from the Tuckahoe District from 1883 to 1891. From 1887-1889, Patterson served as Board Chairman. Dr. Patterson died on April 8, 1912, and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va.